Bridging the attitude–behaviour gap in pro-environmental behaviour: The mediating role of ecological literacy from an inclusive education for sustainable development perspective

This study examined the associations among environmental awareness, ecological literacy, and ecological footprint awareness within the theoretical perspectives of the attitude-behaviour gap and Inclusive Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Particular attention was given to whether ecological literacy statistically accounted for part of the association between environmental awareness and ecological footprint awareness. Data were collected from 351 preservice early childhood teachers and analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings showed that environmental awareness was positively associated with ecological literacy, while ecological literacy was positively associated with ecological footprint awareness. Environmental awareness was also positively associated with ecological footprint awareness. Bootstrap analyses indicated a statistically significant indirect association, suggesting that ecological literacy accounted for part of the association between environmental awareness and ecological footprint awareness. Overall, the findings suggest that environmental awareness alone may be insufficient to explain differences in ecological footprint awareness. Rather, ecological literacy appears to represent an important sustainability-related competency associated with individuals' awareness of their environmental impact. The study contributes to the attitude-behaviour gap literature by integrating ecological literacy into the proposed model and interpreting the findings from an Inclusive Education for Sustainable Development perspective. The findings also highlight the importance of strengthening ecological literacy within teacher education to support more informed and inclusive sustainability education.